INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Learning Objectives

After completing the training, participants will:

1. Have an overview of the project planning and development process.

2. Complete activities that incorporate the 11 steps of project development.

The Project Cycle

The process of planning and managing projects follows a logical, continuous cycle. Each

phase of the project leads to the next.

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The identify stage includes a needs assessment process to determine the needs

and problems in a

community.

The design phase includes the actual planning and design of a project.

The implement stage refers to the implementation of the project, whether it is

a single-year or multi-year implementation period.

The evaluation of project results occurs at the end of a project and involves

determining whether the project¡¯s goal and objectives were achieved. The

evaluation stage then leads to the identification of additional or persisting

problems, allowing the cycle to begin again.

Project monitoring occurs throughout all stages allowing for small

adjustments in the project¡¯s planning, design, and implementation in order to

ensure the project¡¯s success.

An Overview of Project Planning

Project planning involves a series of steps that determine how to achieve a particular

community or organizational goal or set of related goals. This goal can be identified in a

community plan or a strategic plan. Project plans can also be based on community goals

or action strategies developed through community meetings and gatherings, tribal council

or board meetings, or other planning processes.

The planning process should occur before you write your application and submit it for

funding.

Project planning:

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identifies specific community problems that stand in the way of meeting

community goals.

creates a work plan for addressing problems and attaining the goals.

describes measurable beneficial impacts to the community that result from the

project¡¯s implementation.

determines the level of resources or funding necessary to implement the project.

Why is project planning important?

Project Planning helps us to:

think ahead and prepare for the future

clarify goals and develop a vision

identify issues that will need to be addressed

choose between options

consider whether a project is possible

make the best use of resources

motivate staff and the community

assign resources and responsibilities

achieve the best results

Project Planning helps to eliminate:

poor planning

overambitious projects

unsustainable projects

undefined problems

unstructured project work plans

Approach to Community Development

The community and its involvement are central to designing and implementing a

successful project. Many government and other funders seeks to fund community-based

projects that reflect the cultural values, collective vision, long-range governance, and

social and economic development goals of native communities.

The following overview includes some key points to consider during the project-planning

phase.

Local decision making in achieving community self-sufficiency is fundamental in the

success and positive growth in every community. Community involvement is central to

both the strategic planning and project planning that occurs before the development of

any grant application. However, in addition to a detailed description of community

involvement in the planning and implementation phases of the project, proposals must

provide documentation to verify community involvement in and support for the proposed

project. This documentation should explain and provide evidence of how the community

was involved in determining problems faced by its members and in designing strategies

for reducing or eliminating those problems.

Keep in mind that each of the documentation sources listed below provides information

about different elements of the planning process.

Examples of documentation can include the following:

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summary of a community comprehensive plan

summary of a community strategic plan

summary of results from a community needs assessment

Tribal Council or Board meeting minutes and/or sign-in sheets

community meeting minutes and/or sign-in sheets

community surveys

There are different methods for involving your community in the project planning process.

Below are some examples:

Comprehensive Planning

This process involves completing a community-wide needs assessment to engage the

community in identifying and prioritizing all long-range goals and the community

problems preventing the achievement of those goals. Next, the community is involved in

the process of developing a method to accomplish long-range goals, also discussing

initial ways to overcome the problems. This method should include a process to measure

the progress towards achieving those goals. Comprehensive plans usually require at least

a year to complete, and cover a five- to ten-year time span.

Strategic Planning

This is a process used when a community or organization already has a comprehensive

plan and wants to move forward to achieve its long-range goals. Strategic planning

involves the participation of the community in identifying problems that stand between

the community and its goals and moves the community toward realizing its long-range

vision. The product of strategic planning, often simply called the ¡°strategic plan,¡±

builds on pre-established long-range goals by designing projects related to one or more of

these goals. A strategic plan generally takes at least a year to complete.

What if your organization does not have a comprehensive or strategic plan?

Comprehensive and strategic planning are time-consuming processes. They require the

development of a community-wide needs assessment that collects community input and

is then analyzed to prioritize problems and basic needs of the community. If your

organization does not have a comprehensive or strategic plan that documents long-range

goals and problem areas or your specific situation does not warrant having either

document, there are alternative ways of documenting community involvement.

Alternative Methods of Documentation

Minutes of past general council meetings or community meetings that document the

community¡¯s perception of long-range goals and problems can be used to show that your

project has a history of community planning activities. This historical documentation of

community problems and the project designed to address those problems should be

supplemented through community assessments that determine current conditions and

concerns. Methods for such assessments of current conditions could include focus

groups, nominal group process and survey research. Additional information on these

tools can be found in Appendix B.

When you have chosen a process that involves the community in planning and a method

for documenting the planning, you are ready to begin project development.

Initiating the Planning Process

Project planning begins with the formation of a local project planning committee or

group. Whenever possible, tribes and organizations should use a team approach to plan

new projects which involves staff, community members, community or organizational

leadership, and a grant writer or consultant if necessary. The committee members play an

important role in keeping the project planning process on track while also ensuring

everyone has the opportunity to participate. The committee can organize meetings,

conduct surveys, gather and analyze information, and meet with other agencies and

organizations. This team will develop the project plan and use it to write the different

parts of the application. Generally, you want to spend approximately 80% of your time

planning your project and 20% of your time writing and packaging the grant application.

Once your team is in place, the planning process generally begins with an assessment of

community problems and issues involving various methods to gather community input.

Based on information gathered, project developers can identify problems and issues or

interests common to all members of the community to begin the process of setting

community priorities.

Perhaps one of the most daunting aspects of project planning is ensuring community

involvement, because it requires the knowledge and skills necessary to set up and conduct

or facilitate effective planning sessions, large meetings, and presentations. Public

meetings are essential to the development of a project with broad grassroots support.

Meetings should be held regularly throughout the planning process. Properly facilitated

meetings provide a great way to gather traditional, cultural, and local knowledge. They

also serve as a means to receive input on goals, objectives, and activities in order to

determine ways to best prioritize them.

Using the Community Process

A large part of guaranteeing community involvement will depend on how you utilize and

develop your community¡¯s community process, or the way in which a community or

organization involves its members in community¡¯s community process, or the way in

which a community or organization involves its members in the decision-making process.

As stated above, the public process should include the many different perspectives that

exist in the community, as this will help build unity around the project. Appendix B

includes different methods for seeking community involvement in the project planning

process. Appendix D includes some sample forms and ideas for meetings.

In addition, keep the following in mind:

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Keep records. It is important to document your public process, as these

documents can be included in your application. See Appendix D for sample

forms.

Use what already exists. An easy way to get participation is to think of groups

that already exist in the community, such as dance, school and parent, artisan, and

youth groups. Many communities also have organized public meetings.

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